Have i started my tank off the wrong way.

[lawlessr]

I have a jewl 120 L fresh water tank .I have the tank 4 months now and i have lost a good few fish.The fella in the shop told me to use an Organic Aqua start up kit and at the end of the kits 4 week cycle do a water change of 25% and then use the Organic Aqua Maintenence kit from then on doing the 25% water change once a month.Should i be doing more regular water changes.
My ph is 7.8
My nitrate leavels were exceptable according to the kit i baught.
I had one bad experence when i went on holidays three months ago i was told to use a food that dilutes in the tank over couple of days when i got home five fish were dead and three followed the couple of days after.The nitrates were through the roof i started over with the Organic Aqua start up kit again and the tank seamed to be setteling down ,in the past week i have lost 2 barbs and 3 blue rams that i was quite fond off.
Can anyone see what i am doing wrong i would appreciate the help.

 

[laxpatrick]

Primary way to get rid of nitrates is dillution - consider doing water changes more often - to the tune of 25% per week.

Assuming you've got ammonia and nitrites under control (near zero)?

What kind of a test kit are you using?

 

[lawlessr]

Dont mean to sound like an idiot but how do i test for ammonia is it just another kit or is there anything u recomdend i have goten very little help starting this tank up the lads in the shop were not much help, i have 2 seperate kits one for nitrates and one for ph the highest ph on the scale is 7.6 so i am not 100% shure what the ph is it is close to 7.6 so i thought it was maybe 7.8 dont know the name of the makers of the kits off hand they are at home will find out later any info would help.
thanks

 

[Dano01]

Assume nothing!....Tetra and or API test kits (liquid type) are sufficient for most aquarium testing.................Get the total ammonia test kit and check the water....Your fish deaths are from water quality issues and until you get the water quality under control, you will continue to loose fish....

Rams in particular need good water...The fact that you have high nitrate levels indicate that some biological action is occurring...Nitrate is the end product of ammonia reduction....Your ammonia and or nitrite are probably still high resulting in a climbing nitrate level....Check the ammonia and do the water changes...I recommend 10 to 15% every two or three days until the problem is under control ( others may advise different amounts )

Only feed every other day. Don't worry about the ph for now....keep us informed.

 

[An t-iasg]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

Have you read about the nitrogen cycle? Here's a link to get you started:http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/24/1/Nitrogen-Cycle-/Page1.html

Generally, bacterial additives aren't going to be much help. The bacteria must be kept alive somehow and on a store shelf, you never know how long the product has been there. What exactly is in the maintenance kit? Once your bacteria is colonized, you don't have to keep adding it, if you don't do anything to kill it ( like adding medicines).

You need a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte. The liquid tests are better than the test strips. If you can get the API master test kit, that is a good one. Please post exact numbers so we can see where your tank is in the cycle.

If your tank has been set up for 4 months and you are seeing high nitrate leveles, the tank is probably cycled but you need to test to be sure. I would do a water change every day if the ammonia and nitrite are above .25 or the nitrate level is above 40 ppm. Once the tank cycles, the ammonia and nitrite levels will remain at 0 unless a fish dies (ammonia is released as it decomposes and can elevate the ammonia level until it's removed) or you add more fish. Either situation can result in more ammonia produced until your bacteria catches up. The only way nitrates are removed from a cycled tank is through water changes, or live plants. Live plants will take in nitrates but water changes should still be done once a week. On a cycled, healthy tank, I would do a water change of 20-25% once a week.

Also, if a lot of your fish died, you may experience a cycle stall. If no ammonia from fish waste is being produced to feed the bacteria, it will die off. When you add new fish, the bacteria will reproduce to catch up but in the meantime, your ammonia and nitrite levels may increase. Do water changes daily if needed.

"Vacation" foods usually aren't recommended since they just foul up the tank. Healthy fish can go up to 5-7 days with no food. The longest period of time that I didn't feed my fish was 5 days and they were just fine.

 

[lawlessr]

Thanks for all the info just did a 15% water change 20 mins ago and the same last night .My nitrates were 25mg/l and my ph was exactly 7.6 after the second water change should i do the same tomorrow or wate a couple of days. I will buy the nitrogen test kit tomorrow .